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NEW
TO RUNNING – HOW ABOUT SOME RACES?
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The Leicestershire
Road Racing League hold races throughout the winter, first one in January,
which are only for Leicestershire clubs. They are an ideal way to start
running competitively as they are short races (around 6 miles), quite
low key and very friendly with over 300 club runners. Not only that but
over 30 Birstall members normally take part and, of course, we go for
a few drinks afterwards. All the races start at 10.30 and it is best to
arrive before 10.00. It is a good idea to get advice on how to get to
the venue and where to park from someone who has been before but car parking
is often marked. We all meet up, usually in a school hall, and find our
table in the mayhem of people changing and stretching. Then you register
if it is your first time or just pay the £2.50 race entry fee to whoever
is collecting the money on our table. When you first register you are
given a number which you keep and use for all the Winter League races.
People warm up in different ways, normally at least a mile jog down the
road, some do a lot more, some a lot less but make sure you do it 20-30
minutes before the race. Shortly before the race is due to start, the
organisers will encourage people out of the warm and onto the start line.
It is always a good idea to start near someone that you know is similar
speed to you. If you know you are slow then there are a lot of very friendly
people at the back of the pack. Start nice and steady and see how you
feel after a couple of miles, if you can still talk, either speed up or
carry on chatting if you are just there for the banter. At the finish,
as you go down the funnel, you will be given a disk which shows your position
in either the men’s or women’s category. Give the disk to whoever is collecting
them for Birstall, either at the end of the funnel or in the hall at the
table. It is always nice to record your time, if you have a stopwatch,
so that you can see as your times improve through the season. A quick
change and chat then off to the pub. There are sometimes showers or just
changing rooms and often hot drinks and a snack available at the venue.
In the pub, the runner of the day award gets presented to the person who
has had the best run or improved the most. There is also a donkey award
(used to be chocolate legs) for the worst run. This is not for the slowest
runner but for an experienced runner who seems to have no excuse for running
badly, all a bit of fun though as Mick Newton and Deryk usually try hard
for this trophy. |
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